Effective June 7, Dr. Cindy Nickerson will be USDA's Deputy Chief Economist.

In her role as Deputy Chief Economist for Policy Analysis, Nickerson advises the Chief Economist, the Secretary, and top policy officials regarding the economic implications of programs, regulations, and legislative proposals affecting the U.S. food system and rural areas.

“I am very pleased that Dr. Nickerson is joining the Office of the Chief Economist,” said USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson. “She brings to the position significant experience both in program and policy analysis and in applying economic analysis to agricultural policy issues in USDA and in academia.”

Nickerson’s career at USDA has spanned 20 years. Prior to joining the Office of the Chief Economist, Nickerson served as the Director of Market and Trade Economics Division at the Economic Research Service. In that role, she led a comprehensive program of research on the demand for economic information on agricultural commodity market and trade related issues. She also served in other management roles at ERS: as MTED’s Associate Director and as Deputy Director for Research & Communications in the Resource and Rural Economics Division.

Before joining USDA, Nickerson was the controller for a publicly traded company and served as a CPA for a national public accounting firm.

Nickerson received her Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in agricultural and resource economics from the University of Maryland in 2000 and 1998, respectively. She received an M.S. in environmental studies from California State University in 1995 and a B.S. in accounting from Towson University in 1986. She earned her license to practice as a Certified Public Accountant in 1987.

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